St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-05-26
ST. JOHNsBURY's INDUSTRIES.


st. JOhnsbury's chief industry is
sharing the upward movement in bust
ness that prevails all over the country.
1t could hardly be otherwise for with
the handling of every additional ton OF
iron or coal comes the need of increas-
ed weighing facilities and with this the
demand for the Fairbanks "Standard''
scales, that have so long led the world
in the matter of weighing machines of
every description.
Early in 1886 the company was do
ing a fair business as business then
was in the country. Then came the
Western railroad strikes that inter-
rupted trade for the summer every
where, but when the fall came in bust
ness started up, gaining perceptibly
with each week, and continuing to
gain with increasing ratio until the
boom was fairly on. Some idea of the
increase in the consumption of raw
material during the winter may be
gained from the fact that the firm,
which always orders its winters sup
ply of coal and iron in the fall before
the close of navigation, laid i'll last fall
the same quantity as for the preceding
winter, but before the season was two
thirds gone heavy shipments of both
coal and iron had to be made by rail
to supply the demand until spring.
For the past two months the works
have been crowded to the last degree.
On Monday the order books showed
that the company was then 1918
scales behind it's orders, many of these
orders being for heavy railroad scales
from IA to over 100 feet in length,
while this week a platform scale was
shipped to the Pennsylvania railroad
of 100 tons capacity and 1l2 feet long.
An order for 200 of the ingenious au-
tomato weighing machines has just
been completed and another order for
$50 more is in hand. The curiOusly
inclined may be interested to know
that in these $50 machines there are
1880 separate pieces of brass castings
alone. An order for 500 postal bal
ances for the Brazilian government is
now in hand, and so it goes, orders
coming in from all over this country
and the world.
The number of finished scales turn
ed out for the nearly five mouths of
this year as compared with the same
period in 1886 show handsome in
crease in production, by far the larg-
est percentage of gain being in heavy
railroad track scales and hay scales,
the number of the former being double
what it was last year and the latter
nearly double.
But this increase of business de-
mands increased facilities for doing
business. To this end an addition to
the machine shops is already be-
ing built. This will be substantial
brick structure about 68x70 feet and
three stories high. A large force is at
work on the new building and it is
hoped that the first floor will be ready
for occupancy some time next month
The machine shop of the factory
when the improvements are completed
will be fully go feet in length, quite a
respectable room for Vermont fac
tory.
Did space permit more might be
said about the new industry at the
works as represented by the Standard
Electric Light Company that has al
ready been frequently mentioned i'll
these columns, suffice it to say at this
time that this new department is il
excellent condition and that orders are
now in hand for the products of this
department. Mr.. Whitney's new are
machine was completed this week anC
is now in full and successful operation
All this is matter for cOngratula-
ton. Increased business at the scale
works means an increased number o
employees in every department., ant
this in turn means the distribution o
larger sums among the people of thu
village. St. Johnsbury should have ;
greater variety of industries, but if thi
cannot be brought about at once, W.
may rejoice at the improved condition
of those already established.